Method and clamping device for bonding thin lens wafers
AssigneeSignet Armorlite, Inc.
InventorThomas L. Vaughan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A clamping device for bonding lens wafers, the device having a resilient stamp and an oppositely-disposed resilient mold. The stamp surface is slightly more curved than the concave surface of the top wafer and the mold surface is slightly more planar than the convex surface of the bottom wafer. As the wafers are squeezed between the stamp and mold, the stamp and mold deform and bonding material is squeezed evenly outwardly between the wafers.
Claims17
A clamping device for squeezing a quantity of bonding material between a first bonding surface of a first lens wafer and a second bonding surface of a second lens wafer, said first lens wafer comprising a convex outer surface and said second lens wafer comprising a concave outer surface, said clamping device comprising:
- a deformable, resilient mold;
- said mold comprising a concave surface that is slightly more planar than said convex outer surface of said first lens wafer;
- a deformable, resilient stamp disposed opposite said mold;
- said stamp comprising a convex surface that is slightly more curved than said concave outer surface of said second lens wafer;
- and
- piston means for simultaneously exerting pressure on said convex and concave outer surfaces of said lens wafers through said concave surface of said mold and said convex surface of said stamp, respectively, thereby squeezing said quantity of bonding material between said bonding surfaces of said lens wafers.
A method for bonding a first lens wafer comprising both a first bonding surface and a convex outer surface to a second lens wafer comprising both a second bonding surface and a concave outer surface, said method comprising the steps of:
- applying a quantity of bonding material to a center portion of one of said bonding surfaces;
- placing the other of said bonding surfaces in contact with said quantity of bonding material;
- providing a deformable, resilient mold comprising a concave surface that is slightly more planar than said convex outer surface of said first lens wafer;
- providing a deformable, resilient stamp disposed opposite said mold and comprising a convex surface that is slightly more curved than said concave outer surface of said second lens wafer;
- and
- simultaneously exerting pressure on said convex and concave outer surfaces of said lens wafers through said concave surface of said mold and said convex surface of said stamp, respectively, thereby squeezing said quantity of bonding material between said bonding surfaces of said lens wafers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.